When I first heard about eBook readers I cited my love of traditional books as a reason for thinking the new format would never catch on. Granted, I also predicted the failures of movies with sound, indoor plumbing, and that benchmark of innovation, sliced bread. No, I’m no visionary. In retrospect I think the price had more to do with it than anything, but the cost of Nook, Kindle, and other eBook readers have since dropped dramatically. The big turning point for me came after I found myself moving for the third time in six years. The weight of several hundred books in cardboard boxes (and the potentially resulting hernia, fused spine, and soul-endangering bouts of profanity) versus the miniscule heft of a small hand-held device is pretty dramatic.

I haven’t gone completely digital. I still prefer the traditional medium for books that are largely graphical, and text and computer books that require a lot of flipping around also work better for me on paper. But for anything that’s strictly text and meant to be read in a linear fashion (novels, short stories, biographies, etc.), I can download in a heartbeat, almost literally.